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This program me contains some strong
language and discriminatory language.
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I watched a white officer
assassinate a black man,
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and I know that tore your heart out.
4
00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:12,055
Ancl I know it's crippling
5
00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:15,895
and I have nothing positive to say
in this moment...
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...cos I don't want to be here.
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But I'm responsible to be here
because it wasn't just Dr King
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and people dressed nicely
who marched and protested
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to progress this city
and so many other cities,
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it was people like my grandmother,
people like my aunts and uncles,
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00:00:37,080 --> 00:00:39,895
so I am duty-bound to be here
to simply say
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00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:45,535
now is the time
to plot, plan, strategise,
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organise and mobilise.
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# I feel so blue
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# And I feel... #
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00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:58,935
2020, and the Black Lives Matter
protests wouldn't have happened
17
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if it wasn't for hip-hop.
18
00:01:00,360 --> 00:01:05,655
# What am I living for? #
19
00:01:05,680 --> 00:01:08,775
The culture informed and brought
together generations of people
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00:01:08,800 --> 00:01:11,215
from different backgrounds
for this moment.
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# My baby... #
22
00:01:13,320 --> 00:01:16,615
Rappers have tried to highlight
injustice in their art
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since clay one.
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CHANTING
25
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We need justice!
26
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2020 is very much a reflection
of hip-hop
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because hip-hop had been that CNN.
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These are the issues,
these are the problems.
29
00:01:30,520 --> 00:01:33,615
# Yeah, yeah, come on, baby... #
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00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:37,895
Hip-hop is a part of a movement of
black music that started in slavery.
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# Yeah... #
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00:01:39,240 --> 00:01:41,615
There's always been
some kind of protest music.
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This music, this culture,
it would not look, sound, taste,
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00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:51,575
smell like it does today
were it not for history.
35
00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:57,895
Hip-hop was created
by the oppression
36
00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:02,415
because it was our arts that
defended us against the oppression.
37
00:02:02,440 --> 00:02:04,295
CHEERING
38
00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:11,015
It has been a broadcast culture
for us to speak truth to power.
39
00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:12,575
There is the President.
40
00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:16,775
Hip-hop has saved lives.
41
00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,655
If you think the world is crazy now,
42
00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,535
imagine what it would be like
if there wasn't no hip-hop.
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# Yeah, yeah, come on, baby... #
44
00:02:27,240 --> 00:02:30,495
Black Lives Matter,
people protesting,
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this is all, like, stuff
Chuck and Flav was talking about
46
00:02:33,720 --> 00:02:37,255
back in the '80s, early '90s.
Like, fight the power.
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Playback!
48
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# Come on and get down
49
00:02:45,760 --> 00:02:47,735
# Come on and get down
50
00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:52,255
# Come on and get down
51
00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:56,535
# Come on and get down
52
00:02:56,560 --> 00:02:59,735
# Fight the power
Yes, yes, yes, yes, y'all
53
00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:04,015
# Fight the power
Yes, yes, yes, yes, y'all
54
00:03:05,640 --> 00:03:08,735
# Fight the power
Yes, yes, yes, yes, y'all
55
00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,215
# Fight the power
Yes, yes, yes, yes, y'all
56
00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:17,735
# Fight the power
Yes, yes, yes, yes, y'all
57
00:03:19,160 --> 00:03:22,495
# Fight the power
Yes, yes, yes, yes, y'all
58
00:03:23,560 --> 00:03:27,015
# Fight the power
Yes, yes, yes, yes, y'all
59
00:03:28,280 --> 00:03:29,695
# Fight the power
60
00:03:29,720 --> 00:03:32,255
# We've got to fight
the powers that be. #
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00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:37,495
SIREN
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00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:55,095
MUSIC: It's just Begun
by The jimmy Castor Bunch
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00:04:03,040 --> 00:04:06,055
1520 Sedgewick Avenue
is where Kool DJ Herc
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00:04:06,080 --> 00:04:08,175
is asked by his sister, Cindy,
65
00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:11,535
to come out and play music
for her jam, for her party.
66
00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:13,695
Some say it was
a back-to-school jam,
67
00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:15,295
some say it was a birthday party,
68
00:04:15,320 --> 00:04:17,375
Cindy says it was
a back-to-school jam.
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00:04:18,680 --> 00:04:20,615
This is the beginning of hip-hop.
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00:04:23,960 --> 00:04:26,935
The beginning of hip-hop
is a back-to-school jam.
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00:04:26,960 --> 00:04:29,495
# Day or night, black or white
72
00:04:29,520 --> 00:04:31,535
# That's the scene... #
73
00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:35,135
The ingenuity of DJ Kool Herc
was the spark
74
00:04:35,160 --> 00:04:38,255
that ignited this beautiful
art form called hip-hop.
75
00:04:38,280 --> 00:04:39,735
# Dynamite
76
00:04:39,760 --> 00:04:41,415
# We had fun... #
77
00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,575
When I say hip-hop,
I'm talking about the DJ, the MC,
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00:04:45,600 --> 00:04:48,735
the graffiti artist and the b-boy.
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MUSIC STOPS
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00:04:56,760 --> 00:04:59,775
To understand how this movement
emerged from the poorest,
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00:04:59,800 --> 00:05:02,855
most depressed borough
in New York City,
82
00:05:02,880 --> 00:05:04,735
you need to go back
to the beginning.
83
00:05:06,760 --> 00:05:09,655
The spirit of hip-hop
was born in the 1960s.
84
00:05:09,680 --> 00:05:11,535
That was the decade I was born in.
85
00:05:11,560 --> 00:05:15,495
The air of resistance and turbulence
helped create hip-hop.
86
00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:19,055
If a negro baby is born, and this
is true also of Puerto Ricans
87
00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:24,055
and Mexicans, in some of our cities,
he has about one half as much chance
88
00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:26,495
to get through high school
as a white baby.
89
00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:28,295
I think we can do better.
90
00:05:28,320 --> 00:05:31,295
I don't want the talents
of any Americans to go to waste.
91
00:05:36,800 --> 00:05:41,335
I was raised to be an artist
from ground zero, 1960.
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Your existence around you
grooms you, trains you, teaches you.
93
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CHEERING
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00:05:52,560 --> 00:05:56,455
My earliest memory growing up
is when
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00:05:56,480 --> 00:05:59,375
President john F Kennedy
was assassinated.
96
00:05:59,400 --> 00:06:01,855
I remember laying underneath
the ironing board
97
00:06:01,880 --> 00:06:04,455
when my mother used to be
ironing clothes
98
00:06:04,480 --> 00:06:07,695
and it just stuck in my head -
the funeral, the whole procession.
99
00:06:09,600 --> 00:06:13,695
A few years later, his brother,
Robert Kennedy, was shot and killed.
100
00:06:17,920 --> 00:06:20,815
Malcolm X was shot and killed.
101
00:06:20,840 --> 00:06:23,895
Ancl then Martin Luther King
was shot and killed.
102
00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:30,095
I can remember Dr Martin Luther
King had got assassinated
103
00:06:30,120 --> 00:06:33,855
and that was the first time that
I seen my father, he actually cried.
104
00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:40,215
That was the beginning of me
just understanding
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00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:42,215
black people's role in society.
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00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:43,735
EXPLOSION
107
00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:53,815
The assassinations, the Vietnam War,
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knowing family members that were
going off to the Vietnam War,
109
00:06:58,280 --> 00:07:01,575
being drafted
in front of our own eyes.
110
00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:05,175
ARTILLERY FIRE
111
00:07:07,800 --> 00:07:10,855
My mother would say
at an early age, you know,
112
00:07:10,880 --> 00:07:13,295
"This war is going on
so I think, you know,
113
00:07:13,320 --> 00:07:15,455
"you should be
a conscientious objector."
114
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Can you tell us, champ,
why in your view
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00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,495
you deserve to be exempted
from military service?
116
00:07:22,520 --> 00:07:24,295
No. I have nothing to say.
117
00:07:24,320 --> 00:07:27,295
Everything that's been said
is in the newspapers.
118
00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:38,415
I was privy to all those things
that were going on in the 1960s.
119
00:07:39,760 --> 00:07:42,735
Ancl they had a profound effect
not only on me
120
00:07:42,760 --> 00:07:45,055
but our community that we lived in.
121
00:07:45,080 --> 00:07:46,655
SIREN
122
00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:53,695
REPORTER: Poverty, unemployment
and frustration
123
00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:57,815
led to four days of rioting,
burning, looting and killing
124
00:07:57,840 --> 00:08:00,215
that had never been seen before
in America.
125
00:08:03,040 --> 00:08:07,495
There were riots almost
every single summer in the '60s
126
00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:11,255
and it was because the social
and justice system
127
00:08:11,280 --> 00:08:13,415
was just as bad then as it is now.
128
00:08:17,560 --> 00:08:20,855
Ancl we were trying to get our
rights, we were trying to live
129
00:08:20,880 --> 00:08:24,895
in spite of all the madness that was
taking place within our communities.
130
00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,015
People are just getting tired
of being pushed around
131
00:08:27,040 --> 00:08:28,895
by you white people, that's all.
132
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SIREN
133
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What happened is just a prologue
134
00:08:39,400 --> 00:08:42,375
because whites still don't believe
that black people mean it
135
00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:45,015
when they say that we want power,
136
00:08:45,040 --> 00:08:47,095
we want black power.
137
00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:50,095
MUSIC: Time To Make A Change
by Lewen, Wikstrom and Blaize
138
00:08:56,400 --> 00:08:59,855
The civil rights movement was killed
when they killed Dr King.
139
00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:02,655
The only movement now
that was available
140
00:09:02,680 --> 00:09:04,495
was the Black Power movement.
141
00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,655
This country has never cared
about black people. That's right.
142
00:09:09,680 --> 00:09:13,295
They don't give two damns about us
and all of us always turn around
143
00:09:13,320 --> 00:09:16,535
worrying about what's good
for America, what's good...
144
00:09:16,560 --> 00:09:19,775
Later for America.
What's good for black people?!
145
00:09:19,800 --> 00:09:22,815
That's what we want to know.
CHEERING
146
00:09:22,840 --> 00:09:25,295
# It's time to make a change
147
00:09:26,920 --> 00:09:29,855
# Time to make a new beginning... #
148
00:09:29,880 --> 00:09:33,175
The whole thing was, before we
can talk about making a change
149
00:09:33,200 --> 00:09:35,775
in the outer world,
we've got to clean up our world,
150
00:09:35,800 --> 00:09:37,655
and so that was the mission.
151
00:09:37,680 --> 00:09:40,575
# Time to make a change... #
152
00:09:40,600 --> 00:09:44,295
I remember the Black Panther Party
would go to Manhattan
153
00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:48,295
and was serving lunches to kids
in the summertime.
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00:09:48,320 --> 00:09:51,535
# We can't go on like this
any more... #
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00:09:51,560 --> 00:09:56,175
Later on, the Nation of Islam were
having their movements in Harlem
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and around the New York City area.
157
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# The men with the power
158
00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,335
# A dreary chosen few... #
159
00:10:04,360 --> 00:10:06,815
You had the Nation of Islam
backing you,
160
00:10:06,840 --> 00:10:10,815
you had Minister Louis Farrakhan
teaching you about yourself.
161
00:10:10,840 --> 00:10:12,535
Allahu Akbar!
162
00:10:12,560 --> 00:10:17,895
You had real Christian ministers had
you believe Jesus was a black man.
163
00:10:17,920 --> 00:10:20,655
All the Bible characters
were African.
164
00:10:20,680 --> 00:10:25,055
# What have we become? #
165
00:10:25,080 --> 00:10:28,855
The roles of our black political
leaders and religious leaders
166
00:10:28,880 --> 00:10:32,495
played a role in the consciousness
of hip-hop.
167
00:10:32,520 --> 00:10:35,535
That knowledge of self,
pro-black message.
168
00:10:35,560 --> 00:10:37,695
I am!
CROWD: I am!
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Somebody!
CROWD: Somebody!
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00:10:40,080 --> 00:10:42,655
Right on!
CHEERING
171
00:10:43,680 --> 00:10:45,855
# Time to make a new beginning... #
172
00:10:45,880 --> 00:10:49,055
This was a period where we were
breaking out of that shell
173
00:10:49,080 --> 00:10:51,695
and we were coming forth
and we were seeking power
174
00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:55,175
and we really felt that we had
the system on its heels.
175
00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:57,495
Violence is a part
of America's culture.
176
00:11:00,920 --> 00:11:04,055
When the revolution comes.
When the revolution comes.
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00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:06,535
When the revolution comes...
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As that consciousness
was raised with people saying,
179
00:11:09,200 --> 00:11:12,055
"Well, we're asking questions
that ain't getting answered
180
00:11:12,080 --> 00:11:15,455
"by the society, at least we need
the music to say something."
181
00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:17,695
When the revolution comes.
Revolution.
182
00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:20,495
When the revolution comes.
When the revolution comes!
183
00:11:20,520 --> 00:11:22,575
So it was a snowball effect.
184
00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:26,135
Black snowball effect
in our neighbourhood especially,
185
00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:30,135
so obviously it bled to the music
and it reciprocated back and forth.
186
00:11:30,160 --> 00:11:32,535
Ancl blood will run through
the streets of Harlem
187
00:11:32,560 --> 00:11:35,775
drowning anything without substance
when the revolution comes,
188
00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:38,775
when the revolution comes,
when the revolution comes.
189
00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:40,535
When the revolution comes!
190
00:11:40,560 --> 00:11:43,535
One of my most famous poems
was When The Revolution Comes.
191
00:11:43,560 --> 00:11:46,855
I didn't make that line-up,
that was a line that a lot of folks
192
00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:50,375
were using as a preface to something
we were hoping was going to come,
193
00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:54,455
so I took that line and blew it up
and just talked about
194
00:11:54,480 --> 00:11:57,455
a bunch of things that should take
place when the revolution comes.
195
00:11:57,480 --> 00:12:02,255
Speak not of revolution until you
are willing to eat rats to survive.
196
00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,015
When the revolution comes.
197
00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:07,375
When the revolution comes!
When the revolution comes.
198
00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:10,575
When the revolution comes, guns
and rifles will be taking the place
199
00:12:10,600 --> 00:12:12,095
of poems and essays.
200
00:12:12,120 --> 00:12:15,455
I noticed that when you hit people
with thoughts they've already had,
201
00:12:15,480 --> 00:12:17,655
they will gravitate to you
that much more.
202
00:12:17,680 --> 00:12:20,135
When the revolution comes!
203
00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:22,575
The Last Poets were like your uncles
204
00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:25,575
who definitely laid out
the groundwork.
205
00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:29,055
Poets were always going to give you
the dirty, dirty on everything.
206
00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:34,335
The truth. That is very important
not only in the realm of hip-hop
207
00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:36,295
but in the realm of artistry.
208
00:12:36,320 --> 00:12:39,375
When the revolution comes, Jesus
Christ is going to be standing
209
00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:42,215
on the corner of Lenox Avenue
and 125th Street.
210
00:12:42,240 --> 00:12:47,295
The whole environment in black
music, '69, '68 maybe, to '74,
211
00:12:47,320 --> 00:12:48,575
is amazing.
212
00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:52,255
And all these things
are connected to social commentary.
213
00:12:54,600 --> 00:12:57,615
You've got kids that can't eat
and they're robbing and stealing
214
00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,775
and doing what they have to do and
if you don't do something about it,
215
00:13:00,800 --> 00:13:03,935
we're going to lose the country.
There's a new survey out today...
216
00:13:03,960 --> 00:13:06,815
We don't want a survey. The survey
is out there in the street.
217
00:13:06,840 --> 00:13:08,375
APPLAUSE
218
00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:13,535
African Americans are able to turn
on the radio or put on a record
219
00:13:13,560 --> 00:13:15,855
and listen to Marvin Gaye,
220
00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:18,975
listen to Stevie Wonder
talking about living in a city
221
00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:21,095
and what is it like,
222
00:13:21,120 --> 00:13:25,455
and deal with these issues of a new
kind of discrimination and decay.
223
00:13:25,480 --> 00:13:27,495
# Time is truly wastin'
224
00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:31,575
# There's no guarantee, yeah
225
00:13:33,040 --> 00:13:35,335
# Smile is in the makin'
226
00:13:36,760 --> 00:13:38,855
# We've got to fight
the powers that be... #
227
00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:44,615
For those artists -
Marvin, Stevie, people like that -
228
00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:48,055
it's like, "We can party and we can
sing and dance and whoop it up."
229
00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:50,935
You know what I mean? "But we have
to address what the fuck is going on
230
00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:53,855
"around us at some point if you
have any consciousness inside you."
231
00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:57,775
# And when I rolled with the punches
I got knocked on the ground
232
00:13:57,800 --> 00:14:01,775
# By all this bullshit
going down, hey... #
233
00:14:01,800 --> 00:14:06,215
The lsley Brothers make a record
called Fight The Power.
234
00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:09,295
That record as a growing teenager,
me looking around,
235
00:14:09,320 --> 00:14:12,855
reading around, seeing around,
whatever, coming up,
236
00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:14,455
that stuck with me.
237
00:14:14,480 --> 00:14:16,535
It not only stuck with me,
it stuck with everybody.
238
00:14:16,560 --> 00:14:19,015
# Fight it, fight the power.
239
00:14:19,040 --> 00:14:20,815
# Ha, fight it
240
00:14:20,840 --> 00:14:24,255
# Fight the baby, baby,
baby, baby... #
241
00:14:24,280 --> 00:14:25,935
Fight The Power is already...
242
00:14:25,960 --> 00:14:28,855
It's in our skin,
it's in our psyche.
243
00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:30,495
# Fight the power... #
244
00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:35,455
We're all being influenced
by the music of the time.
245
00:14:35,480 --> 00:14:38,775
It's the template for you
to voice your struggle,
246
00:14:38,800 --> 00:14:41,895
for you to voice your oppression,
to voice what's not right.
247
00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:46,015
# Fight it, fight the power... #
248
00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:51,375
For me, soul music was cool,
R&B was cool,
249
00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:54,495
but rock music was like
the Incredible Hulk.
250
00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:57,015
"Boof, ba-ba, ba-rargh!"
251
00:14:57,040 --> 00:15:00,575
It had this powerful attraction
and, as a kid,
252
00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:06,295
I was looking for anything
that can make me feel stronger
253
00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:07,855
than my environment.
254
00:15:11,760 --> 00:15:14,135
By the time you get to the 1970s,
255
00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:20,415
you still have organising by
explicitly political organisations.
256
00:15:21,440 --> 00:15:23,535
The Panthers are still in operation,
257
00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:27,015
the Young Lords - a Puerto Rican
nationalist organisation
258
00:15:27,040 --> 00:15:29,575
rooted in the Bronx.
259
00:15:29,600 --> 00:15:32,455
But they're also
being targeted by the FBI.
260
00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:35,735
Do you feel the nation
is in trouble?
261
00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:37,855
I think very definitely it is.
262
00:15:37,880 --> 00:15:39,295
What is the answer?
263
00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:42,095
The answer is vigorous
law enforcement.
264
00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,415
That's the only answer?
That's the only answer.
265
00:15:44,440 --> 00:15:45,935
How about justice?
266
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:49,535
J Edgar Hoover
is the Director of the FBI
267
00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:51,655
and he has an enormous amount
of power.
268
00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:56,215
But perhaps the most notorious
efforts of Hoover
269
00:15:56,240 --> 00:15:58,175
is something called Cointelpro.
270
00:15:59,920 --> 00:16:03,975
It's essentially
a counterintelligence organisation
271
00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:07,015
designed to engage in surveillance.
272
00:16:11,400 --> 00:16:15,895
Now, it just so happens, the most
well-known target of Cointelpro
273
00:16:15,920 --> 00:16:18,775
is all of the groups that fall
under the umbrella
274
00:16:18,800 --> 00:16:22,935
of the Black Power movement.
Namely, the Black Panther Party.
275
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:25,615
They want to get rid of me because
I'm saying something that might
276
00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:28,695
wake up some other exploited people
and some other oppressed people,
277
00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:30,895
and if all these people
ever get together,
278
00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:33,655
then these pigs that are exploiting
us will run into the lake.
279
00:16:33,680 --> 00:16:35,895
That's why they want to
get rid of us.
280
00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:38,775
Cointelpro's first tenet
was to destroy
281
00:16:38,800 --> 00:16:40,975
what they called
the "black Messiah."
282
00:16:44,520 --> 00:16:48,095
Ancl the one that they saw the most
dangerous was Fred Hampton Jr,
283
00:16:48,120 --> 00:16:50,535
because Fred,
when he started talking about
284
00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:54,015
bringing folks together,
that's when the state was like,
285
00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:55,455
"Yo, this dude's got to go."
286
00:16:58,320 --> 00:17:00,455
Anyone who went through
that apartment
287
00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:02,815
could come to only one conclusion,
288
00:17:02,840 --> 00:17:04,655
and that is that Fred Hampton
289
00:17:04,680 --> 00:17:08,495
was murdered in his bed,
probably as he lay asleep.
290
00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:14,575
I knew that there were two things
waiting for me -
291
00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:16,215
either a bullet or prison.
292
00:17:20,840 --> 00:17:22,335
I never had any fear, man.
293
00:17:23,680 --> 00:17:26,535
To be honest, I felt like a fraud
because I hadn't killed nobody,
294
00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:29,735
I hadn't shot no-one,
I hadn't choked anybody.
295
00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:32,495
I had clone nothing but sit down
with my pen and paper
296
00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:33,655
and write some poetry.
297
00:17:35,320 --> 00:17:37,975
There were so many other people
who had clone work,
298
00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:40,495
who had clone things
and got blown away.
299
00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:48,695
Cointelpro was incredibly effective
at hastening or speeding up
300
00:17:48,720 --> 00:17:52,095
the process of these various
Black Power groups falling apart.
301
00:17:54,240 --> 00:17:55,935
Without that leadership,
302
00:17:55,960 --> 00:17:59,535
without that fight and that push
that the Panthers demanded,
303
00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:02,015
going into the '70s,
there were a lot of unknowns.
304
00:18:08,800 --> 00:18:12,615
What Cointelpro
is not successful at doing
305
00:18:12,640 --> 00:18:17,255
is really stemming the tide
of rising black consciousness.
306
00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:21,095
So you've got to look at stuff like
the Black ls Beautiful movement.
307
00:18:23,280 --> 00:18:27,695
It's incredibly effective
at highlighting
308
00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:30,135
the beauty of blackness.
309
00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:33,455
All of these things that had been
seen as negative before.
310
00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:37,495
# Let the sunshine
311
00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:39,135
# Let... #
312
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:40,495
At that particular time,
313
00:18:40,520 --> 00:18:44,575
5th Dimension made a song,
Aquarius - Let The Sunshine In.
314
00:18:44,600 --> 00:18:46,135
We were all asking for it.
315
00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:50,015
# Let the sunshine
316
00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:51,495
# Let... #
317
00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:56,495
Black was beautiful, and Afro picks
and dashikis and stuff
318
00:18:56,520 --> 00:18:59,375
came up out of
it seemed like nowhere.
319
00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:03,135
# Let the sunshine
Oh, let it shine
320
00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:04,815
# Let the sunshine
321
00:19:04,840 --> 00:19:07,655
Having parents
who were both from Harlem,
322
00:19:07,680 --> 00:19:11,695
I was becoming conscious
of things like, "What are we?
323
00:19:11,720 --> 00:19:14,695
"Are we negro or are we coloured?"
324
00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,695
And I remember
us seeing black people on TV...
325
00:19:19,040 --> 00:19:21,975
...and my family would say,
"There's some coloured people on TV.
326
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,935
"Coloured people." So all of
a sudden, we were coloured.
327
00:19:24,960 --> 00:19:27,415
# Let the sunshine
Hey, let it shine
328
00:19:27,440 --> 00:19:29,535
# Let the sunshine in
329
00:19:29,560 --> 00:19:33,055
# Open up your heart,
and let it shine on me... #
330
00:19:33,080 --> 00:19:37,295
I remember having a summer
school class and this teacher,
331
00:19:37,320 --> 00:19:40,255
it was a very cool brother,
"Yeah, man, come on in.
332
00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:42,055
"Come on, young bloods,"
333
00:19:42,080 --> 00:19:44,895
and he would give us books
on Africa.
334
00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,095
That's not something
that was normally given to kids
335
00:19:47,120 --> 00:19:48,255
in American schools.
336
00:19:48,280 --> 00:19:52,775
# Let the sunshine
You've got to feel it... #
337
00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,135
There was something that was
very empowering about that period.
338
00:19:56,160 --> 00:19:58,055
# Let it shine on you
339
00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:01,055
# Let me tell you one thing
Let the sunshine... #
340
00:20:01,080 --> 00:20:04,615
I'm representing the freedom
of black people in America.
341
00:20:04,640 --> 00:20:07,335
If I win, we're free.
342
00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:09,135
I'm not Foreman, you know that?
343
00:20:09,160 --> 00:20:12,735
I don't see a black man, I see you.
I see the White House.
344
00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:14,255
LAUGHTER
345
00:20:14,280 --> 00:20:16,375
I'm not the White House either.
346
00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:18,015
I see something white.
347
00:20:18,040 --> 00:20:20,255
LAUGHTER AND APPLAUSE
348
00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:23,495
APPLAUSE
349
00:20:26,320 --> 00:20:28,655
I stand before you today...
350
00:20:29,840 --> 00:20:32,535
...as a candidate
for the Democratic nomination
351
00:20:32,560 --> 00:20:35,735
for the presidency
of the United States of America.
352
00:20:35,760 --> 00:20:37,255
APPLAUSE
353
00:20:38,320 --> 00:20:40,535
Shirley Chisholm
was my congresswoman.
354
00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:45,135
I'm from Brownsville and her office
was on Eastern Parkway.
355
00:20:46,760 --> 00:20:48,295
She was very inspirational,
356
00:20:48,320 --> 00:20:50,735
in the sense that
she became an embodiment
357
00:20:50,760 --> 00:20:53,495
of this black consciousness mood.
358
00:20:53,520 --> 00:20:55,015
It was very palpable.
359
00:20:56,520 --> 00:20:58,295
No-one thought she could win,
360
00:20:58,320 --> 00:21:01,335
but the fact that she was able
to be on a platform
361
00:21:01,360 --> 00:21:05,735
and articulate for black people
in that space was quite powerful.
362
00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:09,855
Join me in an effort
to reshape our society
363
00:21:09,880 --> 00:21:12,495
and regain control of our destiny.
364
00:21:14,760 --> 00:21:17,575
The attention that she generated
was extraordinary.
365
00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:19,935
CHEERING
366
00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:22,935
I remember thinking, you didn't
really see black people on TV
367
00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:24,095
who weren't singing.
368
00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:28,455
She's also representative
of the fact that in New York
369
00:21:28,480 --> 00:21:31,815
in the '70s, there was a huge influx
of Caribbean folks.
370
00:21:36,960 --> 00:21:39,015
TRAIN HORN HONKS
371
00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,055
REPORTER: In the past 15 years,
two million middle class
372
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:52,695
have fled New York
and set up home in the suburbs.
373
00:21:52,720 --> 00:21:55,135
Two million poor have flooded in.
374
00:21:58,040 --> 00:21:59,695
During the '705,
375
00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:03,455
the financial woes of the city
led to people leaving,
376
00:22:03,480 --> 00:22:08,215
so with that exodus
came the influx of black,
377
00:22:08,240 --> 00:22:11,495
Hispanic and other ethnicities
to the city.
378
00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:15,295
We'd have Trinies,
379
00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:17,655
Bajans, Jamaicans,
380
00:22:17,680 --> 00:22:19,655
all coming in as a wave, really.
381
00:22:20,720 --> 00:22:23,375
REPORTER: They came in search
of the prizes promised
382
00:22:23,400 --> 00:22:25,295
in the American dream.
383
00:22:25,320 --> 00:22:27,655
Instead, they and their families
inherited
384
00:22:27,680 --> 00:22:29,735
this devastated piece of the Earth.
385
00:22:32,560 --> 00:22:34,975
All the tenements
were stacked and packed
386
00:22:35,000 --> 00:22:37,495
with so many people coming through,
387
00:22:37,520 --> 00:22:41,255
coexistence was a little difficult
because of the way
388
00:22:41,280 --> 00:22:44,895
we were fed all these,
like, negative, um...
389
00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:47,455
...attitudes.
390
00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:53,015
I was 160 pounds of curious,
391
00:22:53,040 --> 00:22:55,855
anxious Puerto Rican
392
00:22:55,880 --> 00:22:58,975
so going out into the streets
was real tough.
393
00:23:09,760 --> 00:23:12,615
REPORTER: There is a crime of
violence committed in New York City
394
00:23:12,640 --> 00:23:14,695
every four minutes.
395
00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:18,055
Last year alone, there were
more than 1,500 murders.
396
00:23:18,080 --> 00:23:20,015
SIREN
397
00:23:21,080 --> 00:23:24,255
It was a time when the violence
through gangs in New York
398
00:23:24,280 --> 00:23:25,575
was at its zenith.
399
00:23:29,080 --> 00:23:33,015
You had thousands of gangs
and they fought over territory,
400
00:23:33,040 --> 00:23:36,255
and it was violent
and it was destructive.
401
00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:45,375
I remember a time
visiting New York in '74
402
00:23:45,400 --> 00:23:48,015
and seeing these gangs
very much dressed like...
403
00:23:48,040 --> 00:23:50,215
Almost like the Warriors gear.
404
00:23:50,240 --> 00:23:53,895
But the Warriors was kind of silly,
it was a goofy thing.
405
00:23:53,920 --> 00:23:55,535
These were the real Warriors.
406
00:23:56,600 --> 00:23:58,855
Ancl it was intimidating,
it was frightening.
407
00:24:06,800 --> 00:24:08,415
There's an expression they say,
408
00:24:08,440 --> 00:24:11,615
it's a terrible blow but that's how
it go. So you see somebody get hurt
409
00:24:11,640 --> 00:24:14,295
and they go, "Eh, it's a terrible
blow but that's how it go."
410
00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,655
You didn't have a fear of death
because death was always around you.
411
00:24:18,680 --> 00:24:20,495
SIREN
412
00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:28,135
Growing up in the Bronx mid-'70s,
413
00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:30,735
I was in the middle
of the heroin epidemic.
414
00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:34,535
You'd see a lot of empty
hypodermic needles
415
00:24:34,560 --> 00:24:37,415
and people nodding
all over the place.
416
00:24:37,440 --> 00:24:40,935
They'll knock on your door
and want to get some water
417
00:24:40,960 --> 00:24:42,975
so that they can mix up
their little dope.
418
00:24:44,480 --> 00:24:46,255
# But I'm feelin' all right... #
419
00:24:47,720 --> 00:24:50,375
Not really good for kids
to be raised up in.
420
00:24:55,480 --> 00:24:58,935
As I talk to the people
from New York State,
421
00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:03,335
I realise the need for money
to deal with this problem.
422
00:25:03,360 --> 00:25:05,775
I am glad that,
in this administration,
423
00:25:05,800 --> 00:25:08,295
we have increased
the amount of money
424
00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:12,095
for handling the problem
of dangerous drugs sevenfold.
425
00:25:12,120 --> 00:25:15,495
The policies that come out
of the Nixon administration,
426
00:25:15,520 --> 00:25:17,775
particularly those policies
that are focused
427
00:25:17,800 --> 00:25:20,215
on the war on drugs, on crime,
428
00:25:20,240 --> 00:25:24,935
are actually designed
to punish black people.
429
00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:26,775
We have an accounting of this.
430
00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:43,255
The war on drugs was some bullshit.
431
00:25:43,280 --> 00:25:46,095
But the knowledge of how
we were being manipulated
432
00:25:46,120 --> 00:25:49,335
through these different things
we learned later on.
433
00:25:49,360 --> 00:25:51,255
Back then, I was an ignorant kid.
434
00:25:55,800 --> 00:25:58,935
There's a philosophy
by Daniel Patrick Moynihan,
435
00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,375
who ultimately ends up
being New York's Senator.
436
00:26:02,400 --> 00:26:07,015
In this memo, he says,
"I think these black communities
437
00:26:07,040 --> 00:26:11,415
"would benefit from a period
of benign neglect."
438
00:26:11,440 --> 00:26:14,895
It accurately captures the attitude
439
00:26:14,920 --> 00:26:18,775
that administrations have
towards these areas
440
00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,015
that are disproportionately black.
441
00:26:25,320 --> 00:26:27,855
REPORTER: In a city where
there are four murders a clay,
442
00:26:27,880 --> 00:26:31,495
they're now thinking of the
unthinkable - laying off policemen.
443
00:26:36,360 --> 00:26:39,535
We knew that the situation
was clire and stressed.
444
00:26:39,560 --> 00:26:41,855
We saw the heroin addicts,
445
00:26:41,880 --> 00:26:43,935
we saw the institutions
around us crumbling.
446
00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:46,415
We saw this at ten years old.
It was obvious.
447
00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:51,055
But we didn't see our environment
448
00:26:51,080 --> 00:26:55,255
for what mainstream
may have seen the Bronx as.
449
00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:58,895
We saw the Bronx
not according to the environment,
450
00:26:58,920 --> 00:27:00,895
but according to who we were in it.
451
00:27:02,280 --> 00:27:05,735
MUSIC: It's just Beginning
by The jimmy Castor Bunch
452
00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:07,055
DOG BARKS
453
00:27:07,080 --> 00:27:10,815
Growing up in that New York,
the police were not as attentive.
454
00:27:10,840 --> 00:27:13,935
There was a lot of sense of, like,
"I can get away with a lot.
455
00:27:13,960 --> 00:27:16,695
"If no-one stops me, I can get away
with a lot of shit."
456
00:27:16,720 --> 00:27:18,655
# Watch me now
457
00:27:18,680 --> 00:27:20,735
# Feel the groove
458
00:27:20,760 --> 00:27:22,695
# Into something
459
00:27:22,720 --> 00:27:24,495
# Gonna make you move... #
460
00:27:27,040 --> 00:27:28,895
I remember at one point
there was two guys
461
00:27:28,920 --> 00:27:30,935
stopping graffiti in New York.
462
00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:32,215
Two guys.
463
00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:33,855
In the '70s? Come on!
464
00:27:33,880 --> 00:27:36,175
These are about the best cans
of paint on the market
465
00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:38,855
and this is what they invariably
will go out and steal.
466
00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:41,295
They never pay for their paint,
they'll steal it.
467
00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:46,375
You'd be on the subway and you
wouldn't know what stop you...
468
00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:49,455
I mean, cos everything was painted -
all the windows were covered
469
00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:52,055
with graffiti, and the insides
of the train as well.
470
00:27:52,080 --> 00:27:55,495
# You've got to do your thing,
you've got to do your thing... #
471
00:27:57,000 --> 00:27:58,495
So it was a free rein.
472
00:28:00,240 --> 00:28:04,135
The most amazing thing in the hood
is to go to the train yards
473
00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:06,975
and put your name up
on the side of a train
474
00:28:07,000 --> 00:28:10,215
and then watch the train go by
the next clay.
475
00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:12,095
This is it!
476
00:28:12,120 --> 00:28:13,975
Here we go! Here we go!
477
00:28:14,000 --> 00:28:15,495
WOO!
478
00:28:15,520 --> 00:28:17,335
This is it!
479
00:28:17,360 --> 00:28:21,015
This is what we was doing
in the hood. We was having fun.
480
00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:25,895
# It's just begun... #
481
00:28:28,040 --> 00:28:33,215
Those trains were going from
the outer reaches of East New York
482
00:28:33,240 --> 00:28:36,095
burnt to the ground,
crisped to the ground,
483
00:28:36,120 --> 00:28:37,735
and ending up in the Bronx,
484
00:28:37,760 --> 00:28:41,415
but in between going through
the heartland of Manhattan.
485
00:28:44,560 --> 00:28:48,855
You reached at that point
4.5 million people in one day.
486
00:28:48,880 --> 00:28:53,575
That's more than some people
can do today with social media.
487
00:28:57,520 --> 00:29:01,055
Graffiti art is probably the biggest
revolutionary tool we have.
488
00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:04,215
It's the propaganda of the movement,
it's the visual of it.
489
00:29:05,240 --> 00:29:07,015
Hip-hop-aganda.
490
00:29:07,040 --> 00:29:08,535
HE LAUGHS
491
00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:16,055
I understood how cars
move in and out of sight,
492
00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:20,495
that kinetic motion creates
for a very mysterious "Whoomph!"
493
00:29:21,640 --> 00:29:25,495
A flash of colour, it's exciting,
it's rebellious, it's, like...
494
00:29:25,520 --> 00:29:27,455
HE GASPS
495
00:29:27,480 --> 00:29:30,255
It was agitation, frustration,
496
00:29:30,280 --> 00:29:35,695
in a system that was totally
in disarray, in pieces.
497
00:29:35,720 --> 00:29:38,375
# It's just begun, it's just begun
498
00:29:39,560 --> 00:29:43,175
# It's just begun,
it's just begun... #
499
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:46,335
People use that phrase,
the bad old days...
500
00:29:46,360 --> 00:29:49,415
...but in a sense,
the creativity that made graffiti
501
00:29:49,440 --> 00:29:52,295
is possible because the city itself
is not being taken care of
502
00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:54,535
in a certain way.
There's a certain kind of,
503
00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:57,655
"Let them do what they want to do,
we don't give a fuck."
504
00:29:57,680 --> 00:30:00,455
# It's just begun,
it's just begun... #
505
00:30:01,840 --> 00:30:06,495
In the Bronx, all you did was go to
a house party or basement parties,
506
00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:10,015
so my cousins would take me
and we did everything together
507
00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:11,855
and we were a large group.
508
00:30:11,880 --> 00:30:13,815
# It's just begun... #
509
00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:18,535
None of what people say the Bronx is
is what I experienced.
510
00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:21,255
I mean, I just played outside
with my cousins, you know?
511
00:30:21,280 --> 00:30:23,055
Ancl it was family.
512
00:30:24,560 --> 00:30:28,535
You know, I think they just saw
and continue to see
513
00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:30,295
the entire narrative.
514
00:30:30,320 --> 00:30:35,015
# It's just begun,
it's just begun-gun-gun-gun-gun. #
515
00:30:35,040 --> 00:30:38,055
The Bronx doesn't
have to be chaotic,
516
00:30:38,080 --> 00:30:42,375
it doesn't have to be bombed out,
poverty ridden.
517
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:44,575
The Bronx is the Bronx
518
00:30:44,600 --> 00:30:48,135
because of very conscious
and calculated decisions.
519
00:30:49,720 --> 00:30:51,415
REPORTER: For nearly half a century,
520
00:30:51,440 --> 00:30:53,975
this man has pushed people
around New York.
521
00:30:58,720 --> 00:31:03,055
Robert Moses managed to establish
himself as a force in the state,
522
00:31:03,080 --> 00:31:05,615
where he controlled
the Parks Department
523
00:31:05,640 --> 00:31:07,175
and the bridges and tunnels.
524
00:31:07,200 --> 00:31:09,935
He was very interested
in developing the suburbs
525
00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:12,615
and wasn't that interested
in protecting the city.
526
00:31:13,680 --> 00:31:16,055
REPORTER: Our city,
under the urgent direction
527
00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:19,455
of our able planner of chaos,
Mr Robert Moses,
528
00:31:19,480 --> 00:31:23,575
has not merely permitted
but encouraged municipal mayhem.
529
00:31:24,640 --> 00:31:27,535
One of the most
destructive things he did
530
00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:29,495
was build Cross Bronx Expressway.
531
00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:34,335
It goes right across
the middle of the Bronx.
532
00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:38,895
It tore through five or six
different neighbourhoods...
533
00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:42,895
...and the chaos that created
and the flight that created
534
00:31:42,920 --> 00:31:46,215
is one of the major reasons
why the Bronx suffered so much
535
00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:47,775
subsequently in the '70s.
536
00:31:53,240 --> 00:31:55,295
Out of all the boroughs
in New York City,
537
00:31:55,320 --> 00:31:58,055
the Bronx was probably
the poorest borough,
538
00:31:58,080 --> 00:32:03,455
and the city itself
was on the verge of bankruptcy.
539
00:32:03,480 --> 00:32:06,935
REPORTER: As inner-city areas
become progressively less pleasant
540
00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:10,735
to live in, those that can afford
to, move out to live in the suburbs.
541
00:32:11,800 --> 00:32:15,255
A lot of local taxation revenue
moves out with them
542
00:32:15,280 --> 00:32:18,055
and the city has therefore
fewer and fewer resources
543
00:32:18,080 --> 00:32:20,575
to deal with an increasingly
poor population.
544
00:32:21,800 --> 00:32:25,215
New York is struggling through
this massive budget crisis
545
00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:27,095
and they reach out
to the federal government.
546
00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:30,455
They're like,
"Look, we need help. Save us."
547
00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:35,055
I do not think it's a healthy thing
548
00:32:35,080 --> 00:32:39,295
for the federal government
to bail out a city.
549
00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:43,455
The city has to lay off
550
00:32:43,480 --> 00:32:44,535
and stop hiring
551
00:32:44,560 --> 00:32:45,935
a number of employees
552
00:32:45,960 --> 00:32:47,455
and so they get rid of
553
00:32:47,480 --> 00:32:48,935
a bunch of Fire Departments.
554
00:32:50,280 --> 00:32:51,415
New York is working
555
00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:56,415
to move out of this crisis
by sacrificing its residents.
556
00:32:57,880 --> 00:33:00,975
If you want to stay in town,
sit in a chair,
557
00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,415
hold on to your buttocks,
pray to God,
558
00:33:03,440 --> 00:33:05,215
and then wait for the Holocaust.
559
00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:09,735
Fire! Fire! Fire!
560
00:33:09,760 --> 00:33:11,735
SIRENS
561
00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:16,815
SCREAMING
562
00:33:23,240 --> 00:33:26,855
When slumlords and landlords
start burning down their buildings
563
00:33:26,880 --> 00:33:29,215
in order to collect insurance money,
564
00:33:29,240 --> 00:33:32,295
one of the things that we see
is that there are no
565
00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:36,055
social protective services
that can shut these fires down.
566
00:33:36,080 --> 00:33:37,775
The building just has to burn out.
567
00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:44,735
Policies shape what is happening
in African-American lives
568
00:33:44,760 --> 00:33:46,695
and communities at this time.
569
00:33:46,720 --> 00:33:48,415
SIRENS
570
00:33:50,960 --> 00:33:54,975
The system started cracking
at the school level
571
00:33:55,000 --> 00:33:59,455
because the resources
that normally would go into schools
572
00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:02,735
were stripped, were taken away. The
city didn't have it in the budget.
573
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:09,055
Our music programmes in schools
went by the wayside.
574
00:34:09,080 --> 00:34:12,695
We didn't have instruments
to practise in schools any more
575
00:34:12,720 --> 00:34:16,255
so, to quote Lord Jamar
from Brand Nubian,
576
00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:19,975
we took the only thing in our house
that made music -
577
00:34:20,000 --> 00:34:21,135
a turntable.
578
00:34:23,200 --> 00:34:26,175
MUSIC: Everybody Dance
by Chic
579
00:34:27,720 --> 00:34:30,695
The soundtrack to the city
of New York in the late '70s,
580
00:34:30,720 --> 00:34:32,975
when I first came here to live,
581
00:34:33,000 --> 00:34:35,575
was still held over
from what was going on
582
00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:37,935
in the mid-'70s, which was disco.
583
00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:43,935
Disco led to hip-hop
584
00:34:43,960 --> 00:34:48,095
because hip-hop is like
the bastard child of disco.
585
00:34:48,120 --> 00:34:49,935
Our version of a disco.
586
00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:56,975
Every time you looked in the media,
587
00:34:57,000 --> 00:35:00,135
they were always talking about
this place called Studio 54. Why?
588
00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:03,855
It was women and money
and the rich people
589
00:35:03,880 --> 00:35:07,735
and the athletes and the CEOs
and all the movie stars.
590
00:35:07,760 --> 00:35:11,135
# Everybody dance
Do, do, do, do, do, do... #
591
00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:15,295
So everyb0dy's perception
was New York City is epic.
592
00:35:15,320 --> 00:35:18,535
# Everybody dance
Do, do, do, do, do, do
593
00:35:18,560 --> 00:35:21,455
# Clap your hands,
clap your hands... #
594
00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:26,695
The Bronx was burning,
Bed Stuy Do Or Die was a war zone,
595
00:35:26,720 --> 00:35:30,095
Harlem was Harlem.
Hell up in Harlem.
596
00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:33,135
So when we saw disco...
597
00:35:34,520 --> 00:35:36,655
...we did disco in the streets
of New York.
598
00:35:41,320 --> 00:35:44,295
Playing music, come dance,
we're doin' it ourselves,
599
00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:47,335
we ain't got money but, listen,
for those three or four hours
600
00:35:47,360 --> 00:35:49,055
it was beautiful.
601
00:35:52,280 --> 00:35:54,775
We couldn't get into a disco.
602
00:35:54,800 --> 00:35:58,295
We didn't want to wear
the pointy shoes and the suits
603
00:35:58,320 --> 00:36:00,655
and dance like this, OK?
604
00:36:00,680 --> 00:36:03,895
No. So we created our version
of a disco...
605
00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:08,255
...and danced the way we want
to the music that we want
606
00:36:08,280 --> 00:36:10,135
and dressed the way we want.
607
00:36:10,160 --> 00:36:12,935
# Everybody dance
Do, do, do, do, do, do... #
608
00:36:12,960 --> 00:36:15,935
You'd have people
who were abused at home,
609
00:36:15,960 --> 00:36:18,695
parents abused them,
alcoholics, drugs,
610
00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:21,135
and that was their escape
to get away from that,
611
00:36:21,160 --> 00:36:24,855
to come to this place
which was sort of like a safe haven
612
00:36:24,880 --> 00:36:28,495
to just express yourself with dance
and put everything behind you.
613
00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:32,135
That was a way of expressing pain.
614
00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:35,455
# Dancing helps relieve the pain
615
00:36:35,480 --> 00:36:39,695
# Soothes your mind,
makes you happy again... #
616
00:36:39,720 --> 00:36:41,815
As much as many people
617
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:44,895
actually discount it,
the disco era was a beautiful moment
618
00:36:44,920 --> 00:36:48,015
because it brought people out
of the woodwork to want to dance.
619
00:36:48,040 --> 00:36:51,175
# Everybody dance
Do, do, do, do, do, do... #
620
00:36:51,200 --> 00:36:55,975
That led to a lot of, like,
proudness on that dance floor
621
00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:59,455
and it was basically
the humble beginnings
622
00:36:59,480 --> 00:37:01,415
of break dancing as we know it.
623
00:37:02,800 --> 00:37:06,095
# Everybody dance
Do, do, do, do, do, do
624
00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:08,495
# Clap your hands,
clap your hands... #
625
00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:14,415
DJ Kool Herc was an innovator.
626
00:37:14,440 --> 00:37:17,375
A Caribbean immigrant
like so many of the communities
627
00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:19,295
in the Bronx at that time.
628
00:37:19,320 --> 00:37:22,015
He revolutionised
how the music was played.
629
00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:28,135
Ancl that inventiveness comes out of
630
00:37:28,160 --> 00:37:31,415
being able to have that sound system
and play that for the people.
631
00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:39,375
Herc had the sound system because
his father was in ajamaican band.
632
00:37:39,400 --> 00:37:40,615
He used his system.
633
00:37:42,240 --> 00:37:45,295
Herc would take this music
and what he called it, he says,
634
00:37:45,320 --> 00:37:48,055
"I go to the best part of the record
to give it you."
635
00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:50,055
He called it,
"I go to the yolk of the egg.
636
00:37:50,080 --> 00:37:53,255
"I go to the yolk. I get the yolk
out. That's all you really want."
637
00:37:54,880 --> 00:37:57,495
DJ Kool Herc, he didn't just play
the whole record,
638
00:37:57,520 --> 00:37:58,695
he played the section -
639
00:37:58,720 --> 00:38:01,575
the section of the record
that really got the energy in it -
640
00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:03,935
the drumbeat. The drum breakdowns.
641
00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:07,175
And those breaks eventually
led to the dance.
642
00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:09,495
MUSIC: Galaxy
by War
643
00:38:13,320 --> 00:38:16,055
When Kool Herc was bringing
this out into the park,
644
00:38:16,080 --> 00:38:19,335
me and my little brother, Kenny,
was there.
645
00:38:19,360 --> 00:38:21,015
I was eight years old.
646
00:38:23,320 --> 00:38:26,295
So I grew up
listening to break beats in the park
647
00:38:26,320 --> 00:38:29,455
from about eight years old.
We were b-boys and b-girls.
648
00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:35,615
The records that I heard
on the radio
649
00:38:35,640 --> 00:38:38,695
were now being manipulated
with two turntables.
650
00:38:41,640 --> 00:38:43,255
There was a song I liked,
651
00:38:43,280 --> 00:38:45,095
Galaxy by the group War,
652
00:38:45,120 --> 00:38:47,495
that had a 15-second intro,
653
00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:50,055
and they stretched it
to, like, four minutes,
654
00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:51,575
and I was just floored.
655
00:38:51,600 --> 00:38:55,815
MUSIC CONTINUES
656
00:39:00,960 --> 00:39:04,055
I felt that we were saving ourselves
through that beat.
657
00:39:04,080 --> 00:39:06,775
In other words, extend the beat
on the turntable,
658
00:39:06,800 --> 00:39:10,495
make it longer than
three, four, five, six seconds,
659
00:39:10,520 --> 00:39:11,975
make it into a minute.
660
00:39:12,000 --> 00:39:14,175
A minute is a long time
in the ghetto.
661
00:39:16,200 --> 00:39:19,775
And a minute of that beat
that makes you feel uplifted,
662
00:39:19,800 --> 00:39:22,335
giving you
a self-therapeutic power...
663
00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:25,055
...you want to extend that
664
00:39:25,080 --> 00:39:28,095
because you want to live
through that movement of that music.
665
00:39:29,280 --> 00:39:31,215
You go like this.
It's called the hump.
666
00:39:31,240 --> 00:39:32,775
It's called the hump.
667
00:39:35,720 --> 00:39:39,015
The first tracks
are old funk and soul classics.
668
00:39:40,440 --> 00:39:43,855
Babe Ruth does a song
called The Mexican
669
00:39:43,880 --> 00:39:48,135
that, for some odd reason,
appeals directly to b-boys.
670
00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:51,295
MUSIC: The Mexican
by Babe Ruth
671
00:39:51,320 --> 00:39:54,375
it just has just the right energy.
I call it, like, this galloping.
672
00:39:56,560 --> 00:40:01,015
Like William Tell's Overture
or Wagner's Ride Of The Valkyries.
673
00:40:04,080 --> 00:40:08,975
It's kind of music that screams,
"Get up! Move! Do something!"
674
00:40:09,000 --> 00:40:11,535
And the first thing
you think of doing is to dance.
675
00:40:16,520 --> 00:40:18,175
Herc didn't allow any gang activity.
676
00:40:18,200 --> 00:40:21,295
Nobody could wear colours in there,
so you didn't have to worry
677
00:40:21,320 --> 00:40:23,735
about being a Spade
or a Savage Skull,
678
00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:26,055
and now the battle
was on the dance floor,
679
00:40:26,080 --> 00:40:29,135
it was no longer, "Knuckle up.
Let's see what you got."
680
00:40:33,560 --> 00:40:37,215
And you'd get into that circle
and it was sort of like gladiators.
681
00:40:37,240 --> 00:40:39,775
You know, two people go in,
one person comes out.
682
00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:47,535
Breaking wasn't one style, it was
all the different styles together.
683
00:40:49,400 --> 00:40:52,255
You could take anything
and put it into your dance.
684
00:40:55,160 --> 00:40:57,935
This is the beginning
that intrigued me
685
00:40:57,960 --> 00:41:01,975
because it didn't seem to have
any constraints on it.
686
00:41:02,000 --> 00:41:05,415
It was all, like,
a pot of cultural get-down.
687
00:41:14,440 --> 00:41:19,135
You have poverty alongside
ready-made tools.
688
00:41:20,640 --> 00:41:24,295
Those ready-made tools were
those turntables, those records.
689
00:41:25,360 --> 00:41:28,095
We made something happen
with nothing,
690
00:41:28,120 --> 00:41:29,735
and that's the beauty of it.
691
00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:32,775
CHEERING
692
00:41:35,840 --> 00:41:38,215
You had entrepreneurial Djs
693
00:41:38,240 --> 00:41:41,335
putting on parties in the summer
in the parks
694
00:41:41,360 --> 00:41:44,215
and they knew that there was this
whole audience in the Bronx
695
00:41:44,240 --> 00:41:46,695
who couldn't go
to the discos downtown
696
00:41:46,720 --> 00:41:49,615
because, A, they were too young,
they didn't have the money,
697
00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:51,135
they didn't have the right gear,
698
00:41:51,160 --> 00:41:53,255
so it was a built-in audience.
699
00:41:55,480 --> 00:41:59,575
The block party scene, it was
like it was supposed to happen
700
00:41:59,600 --> 00:42:03,615
because all of the things that
would stop it from happening
701
00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:04,775
didn't happen.
702
00:42:06,800 --> 00:42:09,935
I'll give you a perfect example.
There's a park jam.
703
00:42:11,400 --> 00:42:13,895
There's over 500, 600 kids
out there.
704
00:42:14,920 --> 00:42:16,775
Ancl the police drive by.
705
00:42:16,800 --> 00:42:19,015
POLICE RADIO CHATTER
706
00:42:20,560 --> 00:42:23,415
You know what the police saw
when they saw that?
707
00:42:23,440 --> 00:42:27,655
They saw 500 kids in one place
that we know where they are.
708
00:42:30,880 --> 00:42:32,735
They're not running
around the streets,
709
00:42:32,760 --> 00:42:34,615
they're not
in the shopping districts
710
00:42:34,640 --> 00:42:37,015
where we've got to
look for people robbing shit.
711
00:42:39,320 --> 00:42:41,855
So it worked for the police
and it worked for us.
712
00:42:47,240 --> 00:42:50,015
Djs initially are like
band leaders, right?
713
00:42:50,040 --> 00:42:51,815
They were like Count Basie.
714
00:42:53,040 --> 00:42:54,855
And then the same way in bebop
715
00:42:54,880 --> 00:42:57,575
that people started singing
to those riffs,
716
00:42:57,600 --> 00:43:00,415
how the vocalist
became front and centre
717
00:43:00,440 --> 00:43:02,935
and how Count Basie moved
a little bit to the background,
718
00:43:02,960 --> 00:43:04,175
that's kind of the same thing
719
00:43:04,200 --> 00:43:06,135
that happened with the Djs
and the MCs.
720
00:43:06,160 --> 00:43:08,455
You know, history doesn't
repeat itself but it rhymes.
721
00:43:10,240 --> 00:43:13,215
Kool Herc had a tight squad.
722
00:43:13,240 --> 00:43:16,775
Coke La Rock was the first guy
to actually rock the mic
723
00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:19,895
and that was who everybody
wanted to emulate.
724
00:43:19,920 --> 00:43:22,895
Who am I? Who are you?
Who am I? Who are you?
725
00:43:22,920 --> 00:43:24,415
Who am I? I'm Caz!
726
00:43:24,440 --> 00:43:26,535
ALL: So what? What do that mean?
727
00:43:26,560 --> 00:43:29,695
I'm the baddest MC lover
on the hip-hop scene.
728
00:43:29,720 --> 00:43:32,815
Early rap and rhyming was about
yourself. It was braggadocious.
729
00:43:32,840 --> 00:43:35,055
"I'm this, I'm that,
I can do this and that,
730
00:43:35,080 --> 00:43:37,495
"I've got this many this,
this girl love me."
731
00:43:37,520 --> 00:43:40,055
You might write some rhymes
and make people dance.
732
00:43:40,080 --> 00:43:43,055
Of course, you had crowd response -
throw your hands in the air,
733
00:43:43,080 --> 00:43:46,055
wave 'em like you just don't care,
just to get the people motivated.
734
00:43:46,080 --> 00:43:49,055
Everybody, everybody, say ho!
CROWD: Ho!
735
00:43:49,080 --> 00:43:51,815
Ho! Ho!
CROWD: Ho! Ho!
736
00:43:51,840 --> 00:43:54,375
# Well, I'm the master rhymer
with the bass in my voice
737
00:43:54,400 --> 00:43:56,775
# I'll talk to you, girl,
until your body get moist
738
00:43:56,800 --> 00:43:58,855
# It's just me on the mic,
I'm doing my job
739
00:43:58,880 --> 00:44:01,335
# And like Pretty Boy,
you know I'm down with the mob. #
740
00:44:01,360 --> 00:44:03,775
# I'm Prince, you know,
they call... #
741
00:44:03,800 --> 00:44:06,855
The pioneers in the beginning,
they could have easily rapped about
742
00:44:06,880 --> 00:44:09,095
the real things
that's right in front of them -
743
00:44:09,120 --> 00:44:13,055
guns, drugs infiltrating
New York City in '78, '79.
744
00:44:13,080 --> 00:44:15,495
# We only came here
to settle the score
745
00:44:15,520 --> 00:44:17,255
# So let's give everybody... #
746
00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:18,775
Ancl they said, "You know what?
747
00:44:18,800 --> 00:44:20,655
"There's no way
that's going to be popular.
748
00:44:20,680 --> 00:44:22,255
"We want to keep the party going."
749
00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:24,135
# Here's a little story
that must be told
750
00:44:24,160 --> 00:44:26,215
# About two cool brothers
that were put on hold
751
00:44:26,240 --> 00:44:28,375
# They tried to hold us back
from fortune and fame
752
00:44:28,400 --> 00:44:30,495
# They destroyed the crew
and they killed our name
753
00:44:30,520 --> 00:44:32,175
# They tried to step on our ego... #
754
00:44:32,200 --> 00:44:35,055
Initially it's about
putting on a party.
755
00:44:35,080 --> 00:44:37,455
But within that, of course,
you are going to
756
00:44:37,480 --> 00:44:39,975
inevitably be making
political statements
757
00:44:40,000 --> 00:44:43,775
because you're engaging
with people who are struggling.
758
00:44:45,400 --> 00:44:50,495
Ancl their struggle is inevitably
going to come up against
759
00:44:50,520 --> 00:44:52,895
the powers that be -
the establishment.
760
00:44:52,920 --> 00:44:55,815
# I'm KK Rockwell,
the girls call me fly... #
761
00:44:55,840 --> 00:44:57,215
"Let's party together" -
762
00:44:57,240 --> 00:44:59,855
that's a threat to the
establishment, believe it or not.
763
00:44:59,880 --> 00:45:01,615
# Double Trouble is in the house
764
00:45:01,640 --> 00:45:04,735
# Don't you know, Double Trouble
gonna turn it out, y'all... #
765
00:45:07,680 --> 00:45:09,175
REP '
766
00:45:09,200 --> 00:45:12,375
rhythmically rhyming
in spoken word,
767
00:45:12,400 --> 00:45:13,855
breaking,
768
00:45:13,880 --> 00:45:17,455
graffiti art, aerosol art,
769
00:45:17,480 --> 00:45:21,295
and Djing were
four distinct cultures,
770
00:45:21,320 --> 00:45:23,655
four distinct communities.
771
00:45:23,680 --> 00:45:28,255
Kool Herc came and brought
all that together into one place.
772
00:45:28,280 --> 00:45:32,095
Some years later, Love bug Starski
and Chief Rocker Busy Bee
773
00:45:32,120 --> 00:45:33,895
started calling it hip-hop.
774
00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:41,815
Hip-hop was a movement
775
00:45:41,840 --> 00:45:45,535
created by, populated by
776
00:45:45,560 --> 00:45:48,775
and spoke to working-class kids.
777
00:45:51,720 --> 00:45:56,015
These were the kids that had
an attitude about themselves.
778
00:45:58,240 --> 00:46:00,815
Hip-hop is coming from within us.
779
00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:02,815
We were never not hip-hop.
780
00:46:02,840 --> 00:46:06,375
We were always this from the time
we were born. We were always this.
781
00:46:09,280 --> 00:46:11,175
It was the most important thing
in my life.
782
00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:14,015
It was the first time
that I heard, you know,
783
00:46:14,040 --> 00:46:18,215
black men sound empowered,
express their imagination,
784
00:46:18,240 --> 00:46:21,575
express their creativity in a way
that made us all dream more.
785
00:46:22,800 --> 00:46:24,335
It was important.
786
00:46:27,480 --> 00:46:32,255
That was a shock to a nerdy, geeky
kid, but hip-hop empowered me.
787
00:46:32,280 --> 00:46:36,895
"Oh, I can use this to not be afraid
to tell the world who I am."
788
00:46:43,840 --> 00:46:46,695
Hip-hop is the creativity
and activity
789
00:46:46,720 --> 00:46:49,535
that comes out of
the black neighbourhood
790
00:46:49,560 --> 00:46:52,335
when everything has been
stripped away.
791
00:47:08,560 --> 00:47:11,015
Mr President, did you hear
the people yelling
792
00:47:11,040 --> 00:47:13,495
"We need some money"
when you passed through?
793
00:47:13,520 --> 00:47:15,375
Yes.
794
00:47:15,400 --> 00:47:18,295
REPORTER: jimmy Carter came to see
urban decay at its worst
795
00:47:18,320 --> 00:47:21,895
and he predicted federal aid to end
more than a decade of devastation
796
00:47:21,920 --> 00:47:23,015
in the South Bronx.
797
00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:30,055
A couple of years after jimmy Carter
shows up at the South Bronx,
798
00:47:30,080 --> 00:47:32,535
Ronald Reagan,
on his presidential campaign,
799
00:47:32,560 --> 00:47:35,695
goes to the exact same spot.
800
00:47:35,720 --> 00:47:37,735
Help! Help!
801
00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:39,775
SHOUTING
802
00:47:39,800 --> 00:47:41,535
Please help us!
803
00:47:41,560 --> 00:47:45,055
Ronald Reagan wants to
take advantage of the fact
804
00:47:45,080 --> 00:47:48,935
that his political opponent,
President jimmy Carter...
805
00:47:50,200 --> 00:47:54,335
...has failed to enact his promises.
806
00:47:55,480 --> 00:47:59,255
So it is a moment
of pure exploitation.
807
00:47:59,280 --> 00:48:02,495
Today, the President blames
the mayor of the city and others...
808
00:48:02,520 --> 00:48:05,935
What are you going to do?
What are you going to do for us?
809
00:48:05,960 --> 00:48:07,775
I'm trying to tell you!
810
00:48:07,800 --> 00:48:11,135
What can you? What can you?
Tell us what you are capable...
811
00:48:11,160 --> 00:48:13,415
I am trying to tell you!
812
00:48:13,440 --> 00:48:15,855
What I'm trying to tell you is,
813
00:48:15,880 --> 00:48:19,935
I can't do a damn thing for you
if I don't get elected.
814
00:48:19,960 --> 00:48:21,975
CHEERING
815
00:48:23,800 --> 00:48:25,175
When Reagan comes in,
816
00:48:25,200 --> 00:48:28,135
whatever programmes
helped working-class people,
817
00:48:28,160 --> 00:48:30,255
that stuff, like, went out the door.
818
00:48:35,640 --> 00:48:39,015
REPORTER: President Reagan, in his
televised speech on the economy,
819
00:48:39,040 --> 00:48:42,135
proposed 83 major program me cuts.
820
00:48:42,160 --> 00:48:44,735
It was another blow
to the South Bronx.
821
00:48:48,240 --> 00:48:52,695
Reagan creates an atmosphere
that exacerbates
822
00:48:52,720 --> 00:48:54,895
these pre-existing problems.
823
00:49:03,080 --> 00:49:06,775
Under Reagan, as a borough,
we're more abandoned
824
00:49:06,800 --> 00:49:11,375
and there were definitely a lot
of gangs flooding our community.
825
00:49:11,400 --> 00:49:12,775
Seven homicides...
826
00:49:20,720 --> 00:49:24,375
REPORTER: It's hard to imagine the
situation could deteriorate further.
827
00:49:24,400 --> 00:49:26,415
The unemployment rate
among black adults
828
00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:28,295
is double the average and climbing.
829
00:49:28,320 --> 00:49:31,815
In many places, desperation
has turned to hopelessness.
830
00:49:31,840 --> 00:49:36,415
The nation as a whole goes into
a deep recession in the early 1980s.
831
00:49:36,440 --> 00:49:40,735
People across the nation
are feeling the pain.
832
00:49:40,760 --> 00:49:44,055
They want two Americas -
they want the rich
833
00:49:44,080 --> 00:49:46,495
and then they want the slaves,
and that's us.
834
00:49:46,520 --> 00:49:48,255
We're not going backwards!
835
00:49:48,280 --> 00:49:49,575
CHEERING
836
00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:55,655
Ronald Reagan absolutely
taps into racism
837
00:49:55,680 --> 00:49:57,935
to explain the economic problems
838
00:49:57,960 --> 00:50:00,255
that white Americans
are facing in the nation.
839
00:50:03,080 --> 00:50:07,655
It's because of the lawlessness,
it's black criminality...
840
00:50:08,720 --> 00:50:13,175
...it's drugs, eventually,
and that has to be cracked down on.
841
00:50:13,200 --> 00:50:16,055
Retribution must be swift and sure
842
00:50:16,080 --> 00:50:20,295
for those who decide to make
a career of preying on the innocent.
843
00:50:20,320 --> 00:50:27,335
It's a really twisted way of
explaining the economic problems
844
00:50:27,360 --> 00:50:29,975
born not of what black people
are doing
845
00:50:30,000 --> 00:50:32,135
but born of what capitalists
are doing.
846
00:50:38,960 --> 00:50:41,455
Get back!
847
00:50:41,480 --> 00:50:43,015
No!
848
00:50:43,040 --> 00:50:45,135
SCREAMING
849
00:50:45,160 --> 00:50:48,015
From the minute
Ronald Reagan was elected,
850
00:50:48,040 --> 00:50:50,695
the United States
was a bad situation.
851
00:50:50,720 --> 00:50:52,095
GUNFIRE
852
00:50:52,120 --> 00:50:55,815
It becomes, in its way,
as turbulent as the 1960s
853
00:50:55,840 --> 00:50:57,135
that I was born in.
854
00:50:59,920 --> 00:51:03,775
The black community
was being attacked.
855
00:51:07,640 --> 00:51:09,735
We get this massive escalation
856
00:51:09,760 --> 00:51:12,775
in the hyper-militarisation
of the police
857
00:51:12,800 --> 00:51:16,455
and the assault
on African-American youth
858
00:51:16,480 --> 00:51:18,495
in a way that we hadn't seen before.
859
00:51:25,320 --> 00:51:29,055
Growing up, I watched the cops
lock up my father.
860
00:51:29,080 --> 00:51:31,055
My father was a hard-working man,
861
00:51:31,080 --> 00:51:32,575
never been into crime.
862
00:51:34,480 --> 00:51:37,095
As he was talking to the officers,
he was like, "I don't..."
863
00:51:37,120 --> 00:51:39,415
Ancl they was like,
"English! English!"
864
00:51:39,440 --> 00:51:41,055
My father is from Cuba.
865
00:51:43,360 --> 00:51:46,135
Ancl I watched them put
the handcuffs on my father
866
00:51:46,160 --> 00:51:48,495
and he's not tough,
he started crying in front of me.
867
00:51:48,520 --> 00:51:50,575
I'll never forget that image.
868
00:51:50,600 --> 00:51:52,655
I didn't know systemic racism,
869
00:51:52,680 --> 00:51:55,335
I didn't know everything
that was happening to me.
870
00:51:55,360 --> 00:51:57,775
Somebody had really
planned this out.
871
00:52:08,440 --> 00:52:12,695
When we talk about
African-American frustration
872
00:52:12,720 --> 00:52:15,055
with the American political system,
873
00:52:15,080 --> 00:52:19,335
they are frustrated because it is
a system that, at every single turn,
874
00:52:19,360 --> 00:52:21,015
has neglected them...
875
00:52:22,480 --> 00:52:25,255
...and so we see this expressed
876
00:52:25,280 --> 00:52:28,255
through an outpouring
of various symptoms, right?
877
00:52:28,280 --> 00:52:31,335
Crime, violence, gangs,
things like that.
878
00:52:31,360 --> 00:52:37,455
But we also see it expressed in an
outpouring of cultural production.
879
00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:40,455
MUSIC: The Message by
Grandmaster Flash 8; The Furious Five
880
00:52:43,960 --> 00:52:47,255
I remember I was at Billboard
magazine when The Message came out
881
00:52:47,280 --> 00:52:50,455
and we had a little room
which you could play records in.
882
00:52:51,760 --> 00:52:55,295
And, you know, I put it on...
883
00:52:55,320 --> 00:52:56,695
Wow.
884
00:52:56,720 --> 00:52:58,375
# It's like a jungle sometimes
885
00:52:58,400 --> 00:53:01,215
# It makes me wonder how
I keep from going under... #
886
00:53:01,240 --> 00:53:04,055
The minute you heard The Message,
you knew it was an important record.
887
00:53:04,080 --> 00:53:07,895
Gil Scott-Heron-level stuff,
but by a hip-hop artist.
888
00:53:07,920 --> 00:53:10,975
It was such a profound record.
889
00:53:11,000 --> 00:53:13,255
# Broken glass everywhere
890
00:53:13,280 --> 00:53:15,735
# People pissing on the stairs,
you know, they just don't care
891
00:53:15,760 --> 00:53:18,055
# I can't take the smell,
can take the noise
892
00:53:18,080 --> 00:53:20,655
# Got no money to move out,
I guess I got no choice
893
00:53:20,680 --> 00:53:22,935
# Rats in the front room,
roaches in the back
894
00:53:22,960 --> 00:53:25,455
#junkies in the alley
with a baseball bat... #
895
00:53:25,480 --> 00:53:28,295
The way that he saw broken
glass everywhere, you know,
896
00:53:28,320 --> 00:53:30,855
people pissing on his staircase
who don't care, I mean,
897
00:53:30,880 --> 00:53:32,815
especially if you lived
in the projects,
898
00:53:32,840 --> 00:53:35,175
I mean, like,
that's what you smelt every clay -
899
00:53:35,200 --> 00:53:37,015
someday peed in the elevator,
900
00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:39,575
you know,
there WAS broken glass everywhere,
901
00:53:39,600 --> 00:53:42,135
so, you know, the song spoke
to what we were seeing.
902
00:53:42,160 --> 00:53:44,815
# Watchin' all the cars go by,
roaring as the breezes blow
903
00:53:44,840 --> 00:53:46,775
# A crazy lady living in a bag
904
00:53:46,800 --> 00:53:49,335
# Eating out of garbage pails,
used to be a fag hag
905
00:53:49,360 --> 00:53:50,775
# Said she danced the tango... #
906
00:53:50,800 --> 00:53:55,815
The Message was really the
culmination of the last 25 years
907
00:53:55,840 --> 00:53:58,855
that was thrust upon black folks.
908
00:53:58,880 --> 00:54:01,095
# The bill collectors,
they ring my phone
909
00:54:01,120 --> 00:54:03,295
# Ancl scare my wife
when I'm not home
910
00:54:03,320 --> 00:54:05,655
# Got a bum education,
double-digit inflation
911
00:54:05,680 --> 00:54:08,815
# Can't take the train to the job,
there's a strike at the station... #
912
00:54:08,840 --> 00:54:10,335
My group wasn't the Happy Five,
913
00:54:10,360 --> 00:54:11,855
it was the Furious Five,
914
00:54:11,880 --> 00:54:15,295
so I've always been a high-strung,
angry-type individual.
915
00:54:15,320 --> 00:54:20,335
# Don't push me cos
I'm close to the edge
916
00:54:20,360 --> 00:54:25,015
# I'm trying not to lose my head,
ha-ha-ha-ha... #
917
00:54:25,040 --> 00:54:27,055
When The Message came out,
918
00:54:27,080 --> 00:54:30,735
that gave hip-hop a voice
and it actually grew up.
919
00:54:30,760 --> 00:54:33,895
That was when it went
from the infantile stage
920
00:54:33,920 --> 00:54:35,615
to a young adult stage.
921
00:54:35,640 --> 00:54:38,095
# Cos it's all about money,
ain't a damn thing funny
922
00:54:38,120 --> 00:54:40,695
# You got to have a con in
this land of milk and honey... #
923
00:54:40,720 --> 00:54:43,295
The Message actually
talked about something.
924
00:54:43,320 --> 00:54:46,575
It had, you know, the same feeling
of a Bob Dylan record
925
00:54:46,600 --> 00:54:49,255
or a Marvin Gaye record.
926
00:54:49,280 --> 00:54:52,935
A record with an actual subject
matter that meant something,
927
00:54:52,960 --> 00:54:54,895
that people related to,
like, in their lives.
928
00:54:54,920 --> 00:54:57,135
# I feel like an outlaw,
broke my last glass jar
929
00:54:57,160 --> 00:54:58,655
# Hear them say,
"You want some more?"
930
00:54:58,680 --> 00:54:59,895
# Living on a seesaw... #
931
00:54:59,920 --> 00:55:02,495
The verse is "a child is born
with no state of mind,"
932
00:55:02,520 --> 00:55:05,815
so that was inspired by the Stevie
Wonder song Living For The City -
933
00:55:05,840 --> 00:55:08,095
"a boy is born in
hard-time Mississippi",
934
00:55:08,120 --> 00:55:09,495
so this is my version.
935
00:55:09,520 --> 00:55:11,535
# A child is born
with no state of mind
936
00:55:11,560 --> 00:55:13,655
# Blind to the ways of mankind
937
00:55:13,680 --> 00:55:15,935
# God is smiling on you,
but he's frowning too
938
00:55:15,960 --> 00:55:18,295
# Because only God knows
what you go through
939
00:55:18,320 --> 00:55:20,855
# You'll grow in the ghetto,
living second-rate
940
00:55:20,880 --> 00:55:23,655
# And your eyes will sing
a song of deep hate... #
941
00:55:23,680 --> 00:55:26,935
When I first heard that song,
I thought, for the first time,
942
00:55:26,960 --> 00:55:30,935
"Wow, here's somebody
who's speaking what I feel.
943
00:55:30,960 --> 00:55:33,375
"I can't get that
on any TV network.
944
00:55:33,400 --> 00:55:36,695
"I'm not getting this
in the widespread medium."
945
00:55:36,720 --> 00:55:39,175
You're hearing this voice of
somebody talking about
946
00:55:39,200 --> 00:55:42,735
our experiences,
like I was with Melle Mel.
947
00:55:42,760 --> 00:55:45,015
# Smugglers, scramblers,
burglars, gamblers,
948
00:55:45,040 --> 00:55:47,415
# Pickpockets, peddlers
and even panhandlers
949
00:55:47,440 --> 00:55:49,335
# You say, "I'm cool, I'm no fool"
950
00:55:49,360 --> 00:55:50,535
# But then you wind up
951
00:55:50,560 --> 00:55:51,895
# Dropping out of high school
952
00:55:51,920 --> 00:55:53,215
# Now you're unemployed
953
00:55:53,240 --> 00:55:54,695
# All null and void... #
954
00:55:54,720 --> 00:55:57,855
The Message was, like,
going viral now,
955
00:55:57,880 --> 00:56:02,055
so every floor you went down
in the projects was playing it,
956
00:56:02,080 --> 00:56:03,375
every single floor.
957
00:56:03,400 --> 00:56:06,095
You might get an occasional
Spanish Gran Combo
958
00:56:06,120 --> 00:56:08,135
and then you get The Message.
959
00:56:08,160 --> 00:56:11,375
When you went outside, every single
car was playing The Message.
960
00:56:11,400 --> 00:56:13,135
You know, you would go to the party,
961
00:56:13,160 --> 00:56:15,215
they would play that record
30, 40 times.
962
00:56:15,240 --> 00:56:19,415
# I'm trying not to lose my head,
ha-ha-ha-ha... #
963
00:56:19,440 --> 00:56:22,015
It was like a frenzy.
964
00:56:22,040 --> 00:56:25,255
It was just like the snowball
effect, like, coming down,
965
00:56:25,280 --> 00:56:27,135
getting bigger and bigger
and bigger.
966
00:56:27,160 --> 00:56:29,135
There was nothing like it.
967
00:56:29,160 --> 00:56:33,575
The Message, a hard-edged anthem
of the urban ghetto.
968
00:56:33,600 --> 00:56:36,935
Flash and Five proved it
just wasn't party music,
969
00:56:36,960 --> 00:56:39,695
but could be used to get
across a serious message.
970
00:56:41,280 --> 00:56:44,975
The Message was the song
that took me over the threshold
971
00:56:45,000 --> 00:56:46,775
from "let's have fun with this"
972
00:56:46,800 --> 00:56:49,895
to "let's challenge ourselves
with the art form".
973
00:56:51,120 --> 00:56:53,015
What The Message did
974
00:56:53,040 --> 00:56:57,975
for me and my experience,
it can't be overstated.
975
00:56:58,000 --> 00:57:00,215
# Here it is, bam!
976
00:57:00,240 --> 00:57:02,175
# And you say, goddamn
977
00:57:02,200 --> 00:57:03,535
# This is the dope jam
978
00:57:03,560 --> 00:57:05,775
# But let's define
the term called dope
979
00:57:05,800 --> 00:57:07,975
And you think it mean
funky now, no... #
980
00:57:08,000 --> 00:57:10,735
Everything that Public Enemy
was doing at that time
981
00:57:10,760 --> 00:57:13,415
was so important and so vital.
982
00:57:13,440 --> 00:57:15,495
Black people as a nation is asleep.
983
00:57:15,520 --> 00:57:17,615
Public Enemy is
an alarm clock rap group.
984
00:57:17,640 --> 00:57:19,495
# Please don't confuse
this with the sound
985
00:57:19,520 --> 00:57:21,055
# I'm talking about bass... #
986
00:57:21,080 --> 00:57:25,575
What you're about to see and hear
may not be suitable for children.
987
00:57:25,600 --> 00:57:27,775
It was a misconception that NWA
988
00:57:27,800 --> 00:57:30,335
came out to sell gangster records
to white kids.
989
00:57:30,360 --> 00:57:33,135
# One, two, three,
four, five, six... #
990
00:57:33,160 --> 00:57:35,015
They was just trying to
tell the truth
991
00:57:35,040 --> 00:57:36,695
to what they was in the middle of
992
00:57:36,720 --> 00:57:37,975
for that authenticity.
993
00:57:38,000 --> 00:57:40,295
# And everybody know another kilo
994
00:57:40,320 --> 00:57:42,535
# From a corner from a brother,
keep another below... #
995
00:57:42,560 --> 00:57:44,735
George Bush calls him sick.
996
00:57:44,760 --> 00:57:47,015
Police groups want his album banned.
997
00:57:47,040 --> 00:57:50,615
The man they're all talking about
is American rap singer Ice-T.
998
00:57:50,640 --> 00:57:53,175
The press says gangster rap.
999
00:57:53,200 --> 00:57:54,895
OK, gangster rap.
1000
00:57:54,920 --> 00:57:56,495
Ancl I'm the original gangster.
1001
00:57:59,120 --> 00:58:02,095
15-year-old Latasha Harlins,
shot in the back of the head
1002
00:58:02,120 --> 00:58:04,975
following a scuffle with
this Korean liquor store owner.
1003
00:58:06,280 --> 00:58:09,295
The police get there
an hour-and-a-half later.
1004
00:58:09,320 --> 00:58:11,375
He walks over Latasha's body,
1005
00:58:11,400 --> 00:58:14,455
took tea into the person
that killed her.
1006
00:58:15,520 --> 00:58:16,615
That's why the city mad.
1007
00:58:22,720 --> 00:58:25,575
# Yo, listen,
I see it on their faces
1008
00:58:25,600 --> 00:58:27,735
# First come, first serve basis
1009
00:58:27,760 --> 00:58:29,615
# Standin' in line,
checkin' the time
1010
00:58:29,640 --> 00:58:30,935
# Homeboys playin' the kerb
1011
00:58:30,960 --> 00:58:32,655
# The same ones that used to do herb
Yo, herb
1012
00:58:32,680 --> 00:58:33,975
# Now they're gone
1013
00:58:34,000 --> 00:58:35,615
# Passin' it on, poison attack
1014
00:58:35,640 --> 00:58:37,375
# The black word bond
1015
00:58:37,400 --> 00:58:39,015
# My man, Daddy-O, once said to me
1016
00:58:39,040 --> 00:58:41,495
# He knew a brother
that stayed all day in his jeep
1017
00:58:41,520 --> 00:58:43,215
# And at night, he went to sleep
1018
00:58:43,240 --> 00:58:46,015
# And in the mornin',
all he had was sneakers on his feet
1019
00:58:46,040 --> 00:58:48,295
# The culprit used to jam
and rock the mic
1020
00:58:48,320 --> 00:58:50,575
# Yo, he stripped the jeep
to fill his pipe... #
83829
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